Maggie - have you considered rubber matting as a bedding? In the UK I used a lightweight EVA (plastic) type stable matting which is easy to move around on your own as the rubber can be heavy, but I'm not sure if it's available in Australia. If you don't like to use rubber on it's own, you could put shredded paper on top or even just the shredded paper by itself - I doubt Chester would find it very palatable! I googled it's availability in Australia and found this:

http://www.ecoab.com.au/

I had a friend with a confined horse due to the same problem and she used to leave the radio on for him, on a low volume, on classical station that played nice soothing music all day.

Hey Maggie
Just did some searching on the web for you re bedding and have these contacts for Eco Bedding:

Eastern Distributors
Factory 9 981 Mountain Hwy
Boronia Vic 3155
Tel: (03) 9738 2855

E & A Salce Pty Ltd
31 Ricky Way
Epping Vic 3076
Tel: (03) 8405 3802

This product was used at Box Hill TAFE and also Equitana. See how you go - no idea of price but sounds like it may be some help and can be purchased in bales.

All the best
Jan aka Griffo.girl

PS - let me know how you get on

Thanks so much for these suggestion. I have some rubber matts here for the grandchildren as we have brick floors so I will try those first. T

Thanks so much for your help here griffo.girl. I intend calling these two places first thing to-morrow. Currently he is on foam rubber mats under his grass hay and he seems pretty happy - I just need to watch that he doesn't start chewing the mats!

Im in the uk. We have a product, by a company called Giffords,called cushion ride for an arena. They also do cusion bed. My horse has cushings and IR. Since Febuary I have been through everything food & medication wise. I do bed him on straw, which he mumbles at, but he doesn't give him colic, as Im quite sure ordinary horses, bedded on straw mumble anyway. Straw is part of Chaff. Hay is much higher sugar/starch than straw. A horse needs to pick. I have taken to a Rowen & Barbary soft & soak mash as a Hay replacer, & I use NoMetSyn from equi Life for the IR. I also use Metformin, but the NoMetSyn is supposed to prevent Founders. Look on their website of the Laminitic Clinic - Robert Eustas. Rodney had terribly sore feet after being trimmed,( which is so important), but it transpired he had serum abcesses, from the breakdown in lamin, now under the soles of his feet. These had to be lanced to drain, & bandaged. He wouldn't come out of the stable for 5 weeks and I did question what we were doing, but HE wanted to live! He now has plastic surgicle shoes on for the time being, 1/2 a bute a day for his tendon that he also slipped, NoMetSyn, Metformin and Pergoloid for the cushings. Deit is alot, but I feel good things about NoMetSyn. & he's doing "squeelies" Now he's got hayfever - any ideas?

Hayfever? Try a mesh noseguard, they can be attached to a safety release headcolllar. They are made of fine nylon mesh and the horses do not seem to mind them, they can still eat and drink with them on.

Horsepower - you certainly do have a problem on your hands and my worries with Chester are small by comparison. I have settled on foam matts topped with clean, fresh stable straw for Chester as he was devouring too much of the grass hay even though it was fairly unpalatable hay - just very dry, clean grass - he is such a guts. Do hope NoMetSyn continues to want to live! Well done so far!

Thanks for your reponses. I tried the mesh nose gaurd a few years ago. After him having a dicky fit, it really didn't seem to make alot of difference. I really need some herbal aditive to reduce his sensitivity to pollen. Horse is called Rodney and I use NoMetSyn from Equi Life for the IR. The NoMetSyn is also supposed to prevent the onset of Founders. The Metformin only keeps his Insulin levels in check. I would give up the Metformin as NoMetSyn also does that, but Im to scared at the moment. Look on their website of the Laminitic Clinic - Robert Eustas. http://www.laminitisclinic.org/ - My problem is LARGE and very expensive, but extreemly worth it.

Hi Maggie - just wanted to mention the product Founderguard. An additive to their feed that helps treat current dose of founder and prevent further onsets of the disease. Used it on my mare and new owner has continued with it with success. Available from stock feed suppliers. Also all hay fed during illness was soaked overnight to reduce sugar and starch - that worked well also. Good luck and best wishes. Jan

Thanks again Jan - I will certainly check with the stock feed suppliers and my vet. My vet is coming back to check him again to-morrow. I feel so frustrated that I ca't get him better as he improved quite quickly last time. I was giving him a wee bit of molasses on his small feed of oaten chaff but I have stopped that now. I will try to get very specific instructions from my vet to-morrow. The vet feels he may have damaged his peddle bones this time so that means X-rays too. Do hope Rodney also recovers Horsepower - they are worth it! Chester is such a darling but very cheeky.

Hi, thanks for your good wishes - Rodney had his 3rd pair of surgicle shoes fitted today.(Every 4 weeks) His pedal bones have also rotated considerably. Through these surgicle shoes, we hope to realine his pedal bone and hoof to accomadate each other. Farrier is really pleased and is very hopeful of a happy outcome. They really have made a world of difference to his comfort and mobility. Left fingers crossed the winter doesn't set off another flair up of all his conditions.

Just re-opened this one to say thank you all so much. Chester is finally making progress so that has been very exciting for me. He has a new diet now which we will stick with. So pleased horsepower that Rodney is also making progress and good luck with the new shoes - they sound great.

Hey Maggie so pleased to hear Chester is making progress with his founder. Continued good luck. I travelled from Tassie to Tamworth to see Monty and the whole time I felt for you as I knew you would be too busy to make it. Hope you get to see him next time. Cheers Jan

Maggie as with us all diet is important but unless u get support under his feet or more to the point his pedal bones diet will not fix his problems - as with most horses they need support under the pedal bone - short toes and no heals - if u remove the heals this allows the foot down which takes the pedal bone rotation away - it sounds simple because it is.

I knew a lady who had special plastic heart bar shoes glued to the horses hoof to support the pedal bone - what are your thoughts on that Ken? Would that help or do the feet just need to be cut in a certain way (as you mention in your post)? The horse was a heavy cob and his feet were in a bad way and he was in a lot of pain, I'm just curious to know in case I am ever in the same situation. Thanks for your input - it's always useful to get the opinion of a professional.

Thanks everyone again. Thanks Ken too. Chester is only a 9 hands high shetland and it would be impractical to shoe him unless it was really vital to. Neither my excellent vet or very good farrier feel that he needs support with any type of shoe at this stage as he is making fair progress. He is prone to founder but if I now watch his diet carefully and have his hooves trimmed short he should be fine in a month or so. Thanks so much for your input. Checked out cytek shoes on the internet - they seem very similar to the natural balance shoes which I am currently using on another horse.

emlaw - the heart bar shoe does not actually support the pedal bone - the point of the heart bar is so far back from the point of the pedal bone , in my opinion the heart bar does more harm than good - they need the support under and around the pedal bone - which is what the soul shoe (cytek) does. if u can not get the soul shoe - i would not use a rim shoe but trim the foot on a very regular bases keep the wall off the ground and in doing so keep the weight off the wall of of the foot. u will c an improvement. lots of luck

Thanks Ken - great to have your input and professional advice.

Hi Maggie after reading everyone's resposes to your problem with your horse and needing a soft surface have you thought about cavello's for your horse's foot problem along with soft surface.
regard Phil

Hi all - thanks everyone so much for your advice and help here. If you have been reading my comments on forum lately you will know that I have been having a pretty depressing time with my horses lately. The one bright spot which I am so grateful for is that Chester has finally recovered from his founder and is almost back to normal. He even gave a little buck for glee as I returned him to his padded straw filled little yard yesterday after his 20 minutes of grass munching. That certainly put a smile on my face and my granddaughter will be delighted too as she will soon be able to have her Chester rides again! Again thank you all for your help and support and I know Chester says thank you too! Hopefully he will now be a founder free pony in the future as he will be very carefully monitored from now on.

Im so pleased to hear Chester is better!! That must be such a relief considering everything that has been happening for you lately.

Well done with Chester Maggie - good luck for the future with him

Good stuff Maggie - but remember to keep his feet trimmed very short so his sole can get to the ground and support him - it would appear all the good wishes helped.

Maggie also talk with John about this little mate - u will find the cyteks will also assist him.

Thanks Ken for this good advice and thanks for your great responses too Jan and Rahni. It is so great to see him enjoying life again!

Hi Maggie,

Have just come on and read this post. Glad to hear Chester is doing well now!! What diet do you have him on? I ask because we have our Mini, Blaze who i hope to keep founder free! We have a mineral lick available to our boys all the time, is weather proof too so it doesn't matter about rain! Aparently this has all his necessary minerals and vitamins to keep him founder free as long as he gets enough exercise during spring and summer....our grass is so lush that i expect to be spending a lot of time in the roundpen this spring!!
Janelle